Here you can follow our sailing from Sweden to the Mediterranian.We have a new yacht s/y Carpe Diem, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40. Of practical reasons we are still using the homepage of our previous yacht s/y Xavita.

Klicka på bilderna föratt se dem i större format. NOTE! Click on the photos to have a larger image.

Nyårsafton firas med engelsmän och amerikaner från grannbåtarna / New Years Eve is celebrated with English and American friends from the neighbouring yachts

En god start på det nya året / 2014 has a good start

Monday 6
January, 2014 Santa Marta,
Colombia

Trip: 0
nm Total:
1050 nm

Gale
warning for several days and it will continue. Although this is the most windy
corner of the Caribbean, but that much and that long! Besides katabatic winds
rushes down from the high mountains with storm force in the evenings and pulls
the mooring lines. Xavita heels almost throwing us out of the sofa although
moored in the marina. The bimini gets loose, so we take it down every evening.

In
Colombia it is easy to become a millionaire. Half a million pesos is a normal withdrawal
from the ATM. It is easy to take a wrong bank note, you have to count the zeros
carefully. In every corner vendors are selling from their tables. They are not
as pushy as in The Lesser Antilles. Although Colombia is catholic, the churches
are not as much adorned as in southern Europe. Both inside and outside are
mostly white and they give a cool and frugal impression. We decide
to make a trip to the mountains. A cab to the bus station as a starter. Then a
“collectivo” taxi in bad shape that goes when full. We share it with a young
French female student who travels alone in Central- and South America.
Braveness or stupidity? One hour drive up in the mountains on bad (sometimes
extremely bad) winding roads. The taxi jumps and shakes over holes and groans
up thesteep hills. We arrive in Minca,
a small village at a crossroad and a river surrounded by more than 1000 meter
high mountains. A bit cooler than by the sea. The tourists come up here to see the
nature and the water falls. Every house in the village has a shop, café or
restaurant. Entrepreneurship is everywhere.

The last
part up to the water falls is not accessible by car. The young local men have
found a way to make money and transport the tourists on their motorbikes.
Exciting to sit behind the driver for a quarter of an hour on miserable roads
mainly consisting of two concrete paved wheel tracks. All the rest is taken by
the rain. The very last part is even not accessible by bike, so we have to
walk. The reward is a refreshing shower in a waterfall tucked into the
greenery.

Wondering
how they get the beer and food up here without any road? We get the answer on
our way back: Donkeys!

Back in
the village an excellent hamburger is eaten in a small restaurant with only 2
tables, the most tasty hamburger we have ever had! The great hamburger chains
should ask for the recipe. The travel back is made in a collectivoe that is
more like a wreck.

The
marina arranges a buffet and deafening music in the new years eve. The entry of
the new year is celebrated with gigantic fireworks. The deafening music continues the whole night
until morning.